Not ignoring the fact that many, many people are having a pretty horrible start to 2023, of course. Poverty and inequality are still increasing. Large amounts of space and airtime are still being given to vicious, witless bullies. And yet, and yet…
Previous start-of-the-year blogposts have also tended to acknowlege that things are… not great (though sometimes I have tried to remember that i am a bookseller and here to cheer you up with some smut, or at least that’s what I’m supposed to be doing.
There are some causes for optimism which are worth holding on to as we head forward. Honestly. Scotland, at least, has taken one big step towards improving equality. Various wronguns have been brought down, banged up or become utter figures of fun rather than all-powerful monsters. And it really is starting to look likely that the crooks, thugs and incompetents in power will not be here for much longer: their chaotic stupidity is disintegrating. Despite a whole lot of propaganda, the majority of people are siding with striking workers despite the disruption: many are far more likely to blame the government rather than the unions.
On a personal level, the first fetish market of the year was busy and buoyant, as January gigs often are. Even after a high volume of
sales, I still have plenty of stock and am eagerly anticipating all the other upcoming events. There also seem to be even more people trying their hands at both small businesses and local community-minded initiatives dedicated to joy and entertainment.
Hang in there and we can maybe make life better for ourselves and other people – and doing all sorts of things which are fun and hedonistic along with earnest striving for change will help us along the way. Trust me on that. Happy new year.